CNA offering the best return on investment for students
6/16/2009 2:46:15 PM
The results of the Career Search 2008 report released yesterday by the Department of Education show College of the North Atlantic (CNA) students are benefiting from having attended the institution with the lowest tuition in the province.
The survey, conducted from May to September 2008 on post-secondary graduating classes from 2006, revealed that students attending CNA have an average student loan of $11,734 at the end of their program. This number bodes well for graduates when combined with an employment rate of 74.4% and 78.6% with a high earning power, an income over $560 a week, within a year of graduation.
When asked if their program of study was worth the financial investment, three years after graduation, respondents said they were satisfied with their CNA experience at rates of 86.9%, 87.2%, and 84.5% for one-year, two-year and three-year programs respectively.
“The college has always been proud that it can offer affordable education to the students of this province,” said Jean Madill, president of CNA. “Providing graduates with an opportunity to enter the workforce in a stable financial position, and the ability to find well paying employment quickly, is essential to starting a career in today’s economy.”
Since 2002, when the last Career Search survey was conducted, students attending the college have become more successful finding employment in their field of training the first three months after graduation, with the rate rising from 71.6% to 84.6%.
Overall, nearly 75% of graduates were able to find employment that was related to their training, with 81.3% finding employment within Newfoundland and Labrador. Over 85% of three-year diploma graduates found employment.
Career Search 2008 provides the college with a basis for comparison between graduates of 2006 and graduates from 2007, which were covered in CNA’s Graduate Employment Survey (GES). That study, released in early May, showed that 95.5% of graduates were employed during the period between their graduation and completion of the survey and 87.7% of those working directly in their field of training. It also discovered that 82% were employed here in the province.
The GES also shows 98% would recommend College of the North Atlantic to others and 95% would recommend their program to others. There was also a high level of satisfaction with CNA programs as preparation for employment, with 85% of respondents saying they were very satisfied or satisfied with their readiness for the job market.
-30-
For more information contact:
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca